News

Opportunities for people with a disability

September 20, 2011

Success in 2011 Australian Disability Enterprise Excellence Awards

Endeavour Foundation has been recognised in a national award scheme for innovation supporting high quality, sustainable employment and premium employment conditions for people with a disability.

CEO David Barbagallo said the award acknowledged that Endeavour Foundation’s contemporary employment services were delivering fulfilling work and training options, along with better pay and working conditions, for people with a disability.

“We are proud to be named runners-up in this prestigious national awards program, which is open to 220 Australian Disability Enterprises nationwide. The ADE Excellence Awards are designed to recognise significant contributions to encourage people with a disability to participate to their full potential in employment,” Mr Barbagallo said.

“For our 1,850 supported employees, the talented support staff and commercial operations managers, this is wonderful validation of their collective success,” he said.

“I have worked alongside supported employees in our “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” program and found them to be fast and reliable. The motivation and focus of our supported employees is a key ingredient in making Endeavour Foundation Industries positive and productive places to work, as well as highly successful businesses,” Mr Barbagallo said.

General Manager of Commercial Operations Andrew Donne said the award was a tremendous outcome for dedicated staff and supported employees working in 26 locations throughout Queensland and in Sydney.

In nominating Endeavour Foundation Industries (EFIs), the judges had noted the following achievements:

  • Customers include some of Australia’s largest food and pharmaceutical companies (Wacol, Toowoomba, Yeerongpilly, Seven Hills, Mt Druitt, Bundaberg).
  • Training programs (delivered by 50 trainers), enhance the wholistic skills of supported employees through social skills, social safety, simplified sign language and health and wellbeing programs (all sites).
  • Innovations including e-recycling and the management of local council recycling centres, thereby reducing landfill (Warwick, Stanthorpe, Redcliffe, Sunshine Coast).
  • Full-time employment and industry-recognised skills development training for long-term unemployed indigenous workers at Nangarin Timbers mill. This highly successful program is now looking to attract more indigenous workers (Wide Bay).
  • The COMET (Creating Opportunities for Mainstream Employment Transition) program, encouraging supported employees to engage in open employment activities for one or two days per week. Supported employees nominate themselves for the program and are then supported to seek a part time position with a mainstream employer (available all sites).
The Australian Disability Enterprise Excellence Awards are an initiative of department of the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA). The Awards acknowledge organisations that provide best practice training opportunities, achieve strong wage outcomes, provide safe working conditions, and promote social inclusion and participation for employees with a disability.

Endeavour Foundation Industries operate in the following locations:

Brisbane Metropolitan Geebung, Wacol, Yeerongpilly
Gold Coast Burleigh Heads, Southport
South West Queensland Toowoomba, Kingaroy, Warwick
Sunshine Coast Kippa Ring, Kunda Park
Wide Bay, Central Queensland Maryborough, Gympie, Bundaberg, Mackay, Rockhampton, Gladstone
North Queensland, Far North Qld Home Hill, Townsville, Bowen, Cairns, Innisfail, Mareeba
Sydney Seven Hills, Mt Druitt, Castle Hill

Media contact for local interviews: Kirrily Boulton, phone 07 3908 7138, email k.boulton@endeavour.com.au . Endeavour Foundation is one of Australia’s leading non-government providers of services to people with a disability.

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